OPEN Media’s expectations for an exciting Christmas as the UK exits lockdown.
2020 may have been unlike any year we have seen before, but not even a global pandemic can stop the inevitability of Christmas and all it brings with it. The OPEN Media marketing and insight team have been looking into buying trends and predictions ahead of this years festive period, to better understand what the high streets might look like come December and the end of national lockdown.
Our 4 sites located in close proximity to retail hubs, that we expect to be especially busy this December. (left to right) Barratt House Liverpool, Boxpark Wembley, Sheffield The Moor, Plymouth Drake Circus.
At OPEN Media we made a commitment to acquiring digital sites within close proximity of popular UK retail destinations, including Liverpool ONE (Barratt House), The Barcode in Plymouth (Drake Circus) and The Moor (Sheffield). All of these destinations saw dramatically increased footfall after the first lockdown, and are anticipating a huge Christmas rush in December. Liverpool ONE have reacted to this by extending the normal opening hours for some of their stores (Primark, M&S and Aldi) until midnight, to allow shoppers the flexibility they need to get everything ready for the big day.
Just last week, Liverpool city centre footfall was up by +19,153. If this is the kind of increase we are seeing in major UK cities during a national lockdown, it would be fair to assume that December and the reopening of retail is likely to bring a huge surge in footfall. John Lewis research states that 60% of shoppers planned to start their Christmas shopping before December, with the November lockdown inevitably delaying this. This could certainly indicate that many people will be rushing to the shops in a bid to get back on top of their shopping plans.
Client X have reported “sales at 88% pre-lockdown & 90% average purchase conversion since lockdown” – a staggeringly positive statistic considering the restrictions imposed by the government throughout this year.
2019 saw a 13% increase of people choosing to shop in store for Christmas presents. Given the current climate in 2020, we could be forgiven for assuming the majority of the population will be doing their shopping online – but the statistics say differently. Research suggests that a huge 87% of shoppers plan to return to the high street and shopping centres before the end of the year. It is also interesting to learn that 43% of people do not trust delivery dates stated online, and would prefer to physically purchase their presents to retain some control of their schedule.
Many shoppers believe that the in-store experience is a vital part of their Christmas preparations. It is encouraging to learn that a large majority of the population feel that Christmas hasn’t yet started until they’ve been to the shops, which will result in a surge on the high street and in shopping centres up and down the UK come the 2nd of December.
This is good news for OOH spend, with data showing that out of home is a great medium in which to prime an audience for a purchase. Posterscope explains – “industry research shows that proximity OOH advertising drives impulse purchase not just in the nearest store to where a poster is located but it also has an impact on consumers’ purchase decisions when they are in other stores further away from the poster site, across the duration of the campaign.”
Visit our Location Page for more information on these sites above and how to take advantage of this predicted surge in Christmas shoppers this December, or alternatively give one of Liverpool sales team a call on 0151 372 0217.
Sources
